Google Glass gets KitKat update, video calling removed

Glass is leaping four versions, from 4.0 to 4.4, but not everything made the jump.

Google is finally updating the underlying OS in Google Glass. The device was previously running on an ancient Android 4.0.4 build, but later this week it will be brought up to speed with the latest version: Android 4.4, KitKat.

Google says the update will bring "improved battery life and makes Glass more reliable and easier to update in the future." The KitKat update will also allow developers of native Glass applications to use the latest Android SDK tools and APIs. KitKat's lower memory requirements should help, too, along with the numerous other core OS improvements Glass will gain from the four-version jump.

The Glass software is being improved, as well. Photos and videos will now be bundled together in a single card for the day, instead of polluting the entire timeline with an endless strip of cards. Glass can now send photo replies in Google Hangouts, and the ever-growing voice command list will be sorted by most-used.

It's not all good news, though. Google is turning off the heavily advertised video call feature, citing a poor user experience. The company said fewer than 10 percent of Glass customers used the feature and that those that did often complained about it. Video calls aren't gone forever. Google is just shutting the feature down until it can revamp it.

It's a bit of a shock that Google was able to update Glass to Android 4.4, since it uses a TI OMAP 4430 SoC—a chip that was thought to be stuck on Android 4.3. Texas Instruments quit the mobile market in 2012, and shortly thereafter ended update support for its chips. OEMs have always said that without support from the SoC manufacturer, a device couldn't be updated. Google seems to have created KitKat support for the OMAP 4430 on its own though. This makes us wonder about other devices sporting the chip that were left stuck with 4.3, most notably the Galaxy Nexus.

If you're interested in getting in on this KitKat-y goodness, for one day only, Glass is on sale to anyone willing to plunk down $1,500.

Ron Amadeo / Ron is the Reviews Editor at Ars Technica, where he specializes in Android OS and Google products. He is always on the hunt for a new gadget and loves to rip things apart to see how they work.